Half an hour later, Gu Qingwei received a call from Yu Shulan.

“Shulan, my dear!” She jumped up, good! Yu Shulan didn’t want to kick her out of the circle.

Yu Shulan was also quite happy, she had been in confinement for a while, and finally had a chance to talk to someone, “Sister Qingwei, you have to help me with something.”

“There’s no need to be so polite between us.” Gu Qingwei’s voice was sweet, as if time had turned back, to before Xiao Cui revealed her true identity, “Just say it, anything I can do, I’ll make it beautiful for you!”

“Then I won’t be polite.” Yu Shulan cleared her throat, “That, you help me invite your sister to my house, just that.”

Gu Qingwei looked down at the phone, thinking something was wrong.

“Why… why?” After a long time, she heard herself asking faintly on the phone.

She tried to get closer to the Yu sisters, carefully coaxing them to be happy—she had never been invited to their home.

Why should Sheng Weixia be?

Yu Shulan didn’t want to lose face by letting people know that this was her bargaining chip to go out, she replied rudely, “Why else, to apologize, it’s endless! You’re good with words, you have to help me convince her!”

Gu Qingwei took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from trembling, “Then should I let her listen to the phone?”

“Alright, it’s a deal, you have to speak for me!”

Gu Qingwei said hoarsely, “I can’t guarantee, she… well, never mind, wait a minute.”

She walked upstairs with heavy steps, vaguely, the third floor, which she hadn’t been to in a long time, didn’t seem to have changed much, but it had changed a lot.

In the meeting room on the third floor, Sheng Weixia was lazily leaning against the sofa, her expression like a cat that had just woken up, every small detail of her expression was filled with satisfaction.

“Sister, are you awake?”

Sheng Weixia stretched lazily with her eyes half-closed, she really loved taking naps, it felt like she was really taking care of herself.

She had spent her previous life studying and working day and night, it was really… a waste of life!

Because she was in a good mood from sleeping well, she simply said lightly, “What’s the matter?”

She said, then followed the movement to cover the book Yu Shi gave her with a blanket.

Gu Qingwei saw the action, she said gently and with restraint, “Sister, there’s a call for you.”

“Who’s calling me?”

The only people who would call the Gu family and might be looking for her were Xiao Chun, but Xiao Chun usually had to help with the family work during summer vacation, it shouldn’t be her.

Gu Qingwei’s whole body tensed, “Sister, you’ll know when you hear it.”

Sheng Weixia picked up the phone, “Who is this?”

Her calm but imposing voice made Yu Shulan on the other end suddenly think she had received a call from her cousin, Yu Xue Ling, she flinched, “It’s me, Shulan!”

“Shulan? Yu Shulan? What do you want?”

Sheng Weixia wouldn’t be naive enough to think that Yu Shulan had any real remorse.

Last time at the Yu family’s old house, even though she was confined, the so-called apology was just to appease Yu Shi.

Yu Shulan was always the core figure among the girls, she was always the one being coaxed and flattered, she never had to coax anyone—except for her emotionally-challenged brother.

Hearing Sheng Weixia’s so distant reply, she immediately exploded, “Can’t I call you? I’m going to call you anyway!”

Sheng Weixia didn’t have time to play with children, “I’ll hang up if there’s nothing.”

“Wait wait wait… I’m not joking, I want, I want to invite you to come to my house to play, to sincerely apologize to you.”

“No need, I accepted your apology last time, I’ll pass on going to your house.”

Last time she used a dog to scare her, didn’t she have snakes, lizards, hawks… waiting for her?

She couldn’t fight it, she could avoid it.

Could rich second-generation kids put their energy into something else, like sponsoring some impoverished college students?

“You dare not believe me! What would I lie to you for? What I say always counts, I said I would sincerely apologize, I definitely won’t trick you again! Sister Qingwei is here, you don’t believe me, ask her!”

“I don’t want to go.” Sheng Weixia didn’t want to go around in circles, “Goodbye!”

“If you get things done, Boss will immediately lift your house arrest.” A Jiu’s words echoed in Yu Shulan’s mind.

“I’m begging you!” Yu Shulan gritted her teeth and said, “I’m begging you! If I lie to you again, if I trick you, I’ll… I’ll pay you ten thousand yuan!”

She didn’t know why, but she blurted it out in a moment of panic.

After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, it was over, it was really over, let alone getting things done, this country girl probably wanted to come over the phone line and pull her hair out.

But unexpectedly, the other side slowly said, “Talk is cheap, write a note, sign it and put your thumbprint on it, and send it to me.”

What did that mean?

Yu Shulan’s brain couldn’t quite process it, “You agreed?”

Why wouldn’t she agree if there was money to be made?

Sheng Weixia thought that this rich second-generation girl was probably really a fool, she said curiously, “Didn’t you say it yourself? Write it clearly on the note, define what deception and trickery mean, I only want cash for the ten thousand yuan.”

After she finished speaking, the call on the other end hung up, Yu Shulan held the receiver, completely bewildered.

This was… a deal?

But no matter what, the first step of the Long March had been successfully taken.

Yu Shulan wrote a note as she requested, but before handing it to A Jiu, she hesitated and put it in an envelope and sealed it—she didn’t want anyone to know how embarrassing she was.

“Give it to Miss Sheng?” A Jiu asked, holding the envelope in confusion.

“Yes! Don’t open it, I warn you!” Yu Shulan threatened, “And you have to tell my brother, I invited her, and I’ll keep my word!”

A Jiu delivered the note to the Gu family, seeing Sheng Weixia open the envelope and read the note inside, a smile appeared on her lips, finally suppressing the strangeness in his heart.

“Tell her I agreed, tomorrow, give me the address.” Sheng Weixia put away the note.

She agreed to go to Yu Shulan’s, firstly because she knew that Yu Shi was a tight leash, the other party wouldn’t dare to do anything, secondly because she understood that since she had chosen not to go abroad, she would have to deal with these people, avoidance wasn’t the solution, it was best to maintain a delicate balance, let them know that she wasn’t part of their circle, but she wasn’t afraid to make trouble.

Finally, she was a little curious, what was it that made Yu Shulan willing to bet ten thousand yuan.

—Anyway, she wouldn’t lose, she had money to back her up.

A Jiu smiled and said, “How could we let you go by yourself, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”

“Then thank you.” Sheng Weixia nodded slightly.

Just right, she didn’t want to use the Gu family’s car.

“You’re welcome.” A Jiu lowered his head and turned around, secretly wondering in his heart.

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt that every time he saw Miss Sheng, she seemed to have changed, as if she had been reborn, more impressive each time.

This kind of grace in every move, not to mention that it couldn’t be cultivated in the countryside, even in the circle of coal boss daughters in Jinzhong City, he hadn’t seen such a thing.

He was at a loss for words to describe it, he only felt that this kind of aura and quality had nothing to do with age, it was truly unique.

The next morning, A Jiu arrived on time to pick her up, the car stopped at the entrance of the Gu family’s villa.

This car was really famous in Jinzhong City.

It had stopped at the Gu family’s door again and again, the neighbors were all curiously looking at it.

The Gu family was in a flurry.

The car arrived, and Sheng Weixia said that she was going to Yu Shulan’s house, which surprised Gu Desheng and his wife, they realized that they should prepare something for her but had no idea what.

Sheng Weixia put on her shoes, turned around and picked up a few white sugar cakes that she had thought were delicious that morning and asked the kitchen to steam more.

“Xia… it’s not good to go to someone’s house like this.” Jiang Xiuhou said anxiously.

“It’s fine.”

She didn’t know Yu Shulan well, so she didn’t know her preferences.

From her perspective, if it wasn’t a gift specially prepared for the other person, then it wouldn’t be appropriate to give it.

It was better to bring a snack, at least it could be eaten.

Besides, she and Yu Shulan both knew that they weren’t friends.

Then there was no need for such courtesy.

Gu Qingwei looked on coldly, “Sister, Mom is afraid that you’ll be rude, it’s not good to go to someone’s house empty-handed.”

Sheng Weixia glanced at her, not bothering to deal with her, “Next time you go, make it more presentable.”

After she finished speaking, Gu Qingwei’s face immediately turned sullen.

Having clashed with her for several years, she knew exactly what she couldn’t stand.

After she finished speaking, Sheng Weixia took the pastry and went out, A Jiu opened the back door for her, after she got in the car, he took a step back and said politely to the Gu family, “I’ll bring Miss Sheng back safely after we’re done, please rest assured, Boss Gu and Mrs. Gu.”

Looking at the receding taillights, Gu Desheng asked Gu Qingwei in a daze, “Didn’t you say last time that the second Miss Yu couldn’t go out? How did you invite your sister, when did your sister become so close to her?”

Gu Qingwei’s expression darkened, she bit her lip and turned upstairs.

Yu Shulan lived in a newly built high-end apartment in the city center.

High-rise, with an elevator, and very stylish arched floor-to-ceiling windows.

At a glance, the occupancy rate was not high, it seemed very quiet.

A Jiu took her to the second to last floor on the top floor of the apartment, after pressing the doorbell, Yu Shulan opened the door, the moment their eyes met, Yu Shulan looked away nervously, her tone not exactly enthusiastic, “Come in and sit down.”

“Miss Shulan, then you entertain Miss Sheng, I have something to do, if you need anything, call me.” A Jiu finished, he looked at the two of them with some uneasiness, then turned and left.

Yu Shulan made a few faces at his back, before she quickly put away her expression and went inside.

After entering the living room, Sheng Weixia realized that there was more to it than met the eye.

Behind the wide and large horizontal hall, there was actually a staircase.

Thinking back to the one-elevator-two-household layout she saw when she got out of the elevator, it was not difficult to guess that this house had not only combined the two houses on this floor, but had also bought the one upstairs and made it into a duplex.

Yu Shulan noticed Sheng Weixia’s gaze, she shrugged, “Upstairs is my brother’s house, but he can only come down, I can’t go up.”